TransAsia Plane Crashes In Taiwan

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Some news agencies are reporting that the TransAsia plane that crashed in Taiwan was trying to make an emergency landing because of typhoon conditions in the area. According to the Associated Press, Typhoon Matmo was rolling into Taiwan with 85 mile per hour sustained winds. Meteorologists forecast torrential rains of at least 7.8 inches within just 24 hours for the entire island of Penghu, Taiwan. Much of Taiwan is prone to mudslides as well.

The flight had been delayed by nearly two hours because of the typhoon. The South China Morning Post reports that when coming in at the Penghu airport, the plane’s first attempt at landing failed. The pilot reportedly requested another landing but then was said to have lost contact with the airport’s control tower. Officials later found the plane’s crash site not far from the village of Xicun. RT.com reports that the plane appears to have crashed in a residential area.

The death toll in the crash of TransAsia Airways flight GE222 is unknown at this point, with some officials pegging it at 45 and others saying as many as 51 people died in the crash. Chinese media reports that four children were on the plane’s passenger list. Currently emergency personnel are searching through the plane’s wreckage in attempt to locate any more survivors. Seven were reportedly taken to a local hospital with burns.

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At least 50 people are believed to be dead and seven others injured after a TransAsia plane making an emergency landing crashed in Penghu, Taiwan. Chinese and Taiwanese news agencies are covering the crash in Taiwan. They report that the crash happened at 5:35 p.m. local time. Flight GE222 was en route from Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport to Magong Airport in Penghu.

According to transportation officials in Taiwan, the plane burst into flames after landing at the end of a runway. Villagers in the area reported hearing explosions after the plane crashed. Officials said in all there were 58 people on flight GE222. Emergency workers took seven passengers with burns to a local hospital.